A highly enantio- and diastereoselective [4 + 1]-annulation reaction between α,β-unsaturated imines and allylic carbonates has been realized under the catalysis of a novel hybrid P-chiral phosphine oxide-phosphine, providing enantioenriched polysubstituted 2-pyrrolines in good to excellent yields and up to 99% ee. Based on Han's methods, the catalyst featuring a sole P(O)-chirality in the molecule is readily accessible and represents a class of new chiral phosphine organocatalysts. In the plausible catalytic mechanism, an intramolecular Coulombic interaction between the in situ generated phosphonium cation and polar chiral P═O moiety may play a positive role.

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Amine-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] annulations of one molecule of Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) acetates 1 with two molecules of 2-(arylmethylidene)indane-1,3-diones 2 or methyleneindolinones 4 have been developed under very mild conditions, which produce multistereogenic dispirocyclohexanes 3 and 5, respectively, in moderate to excellent yields and good diastereoselectivity. This amine-catalyzed annulation constitutes a novel and efficient method for the construction of dispirocyclohexane motifs, and also showcases the divergent catalysis between amines and phosphines with regard to the corresponding phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulations.